East End Arts to host ‘Arts Mean Business’ event

East End Arts is pleased to announce their third annual arts and business seminar and networking party titled Arts Mean Business to be held at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Thursday, October 9, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. East End Arts invites business owners, artists, local government, arts organizations, community leaders, nonprofit organizations, and community members to this arts and business presentation and panel discussion demonstrating the value of small businesses partnering with the arts to strengthen the economic vitality of Long Island, with the theme “Arts & Downtown.” The event will include:

Keynote presentation by Michelle Isabelle-Stark, Director of the Office of Film & Cultural Affairs, in Suffolk County’s Office of Department of Economic Development on “Destination Downtown,” a new initiative for creative ways to collaborate for downtown revitalization efforts; panel discussion where artists and business owners will discuss partnering on projects to strengthen the economic vitality and creative placemaking of a town, based on their experiences participating in East End Arts’ innovative JumpstART program in Riverhead; networking party for all attendees, wine provided by Martha Clara Vineyards.
For more information, and to register online. The registration fee is $10 in advance for members of East End Arts, Eastern Long Island Executives, Riverhead Chamber of Commerce, and Westhampton Chamber of Commerce; $15 in advance for non-members, and $20 at the door. The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center is located at 76 Main Street in Westhampton Beach, NY.

Keynote speaker Michelle Isabelle-Stark, Director, Film & Cultural Affairs, Suffolk County Department of Economic Development will be discussing “Destination Downtown,” a marketing campaign of the Suffolk County Office of Film & Cultural Affairs created to boost the county’s economy by promoting its small businesses, business districts and historic downtown locations and raise awareness of Suffolk’s local downtowns as a great place to do business, shop and play. “Destination Downtown” offers grant opportunities to arts organizations working in collaboration with the business community to facilitate downtown revitalization – attendees will learn all about this campaign and funding opportunities at this session. “Destination Downtown” is in cooperation with The pARTnership Movement, an initiative of Americans for the Arts.

Panel discussion on innovative ways small businesses can partner with the arts, with the following artists and business owners with first-hand experience:

Susan Dingle, JumpstART Artist, Poetry Street open mic series
Nancy Kouris, Blue Duck Bakery, site of JumpstART artist performance
Shenole Latimer, East End Arts’ Education Director and JumpstART Professional Development Instructor
Barbara Maslen, JumpstART Artist, freestanding mural columns
Juan Miceli-Martinez, Winemaker, Martha Clara Vineyards
Karen Noack, JumpstART Artist, “Symbolic Language of Flowers” window murals
Carol Steinberg, Esq., JumpstART Professional Development Instructor
Panelists will share their experiences from the innovative JumpstART program they participated in earlier in 2014 presented by East End Arts, which focuses on creative placemaking and the business side of arts. Attendees will learn how businesses work with artists, and how artists expand their business skills, everyone benefits!

Attendees will walk away with ideas for incorporating the arts, an understanding of the potential economic benefits of working with the arts community, and the knowledge of proven examples of revitalization through the arts.

Robert Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts was quoted as saying “Understanding and acknowledging the incredible economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry, we must always remember their fundamental value. They foster beauty, creativity, originality, and vitality. The arts inspire us, soothe us, provoke us, involve us, and connect us. But they also create jobs and contribute to the economy.”

Joanne Minieri, Deputy Suffolk County Executive and Commissioner of Economic Development was quoted saying: “Cultural events and the performing arts have an amazing economic impact on our local downtown businesses. They build a sense of community and they encourage our residents to visit our fine local shops and world-class restaurants.”

East End Arts’ Arts Mean Business seminar and networking party is sponsored by the Long Island Community Foundation, with support from All for the East End (AFTEE), Eastern Long Island Executives (ELIE), New York State Council on the Arts, Riverhead Chamber of Commerce, Suffolk County Department of Economic Development, Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, Westhampton Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, contact East End Arts at 631-727-0900 or visit the website.
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East End Arts, established in 1972, is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit arts organization, and operates a School of the Arts, an Art Gallery, and presents a variety of events and programs to promote the arts year-round. Proceeds from all events, sales, classes, donations, and memberships benefits the mission and commitment to building and enriching our community through the arts by way of education, support, advocacy, and inspiration.

source: East End Arts press release dated September 16, 2014.